Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I appreciate the figures the Minister of State just rolled out to me. That is what we get every time we have a Topical Issue debate. I appreciate the Government wants 500,000 homes with a BER of B2 but I am talking about the homes that are generally the ones losing the most heat. They are likely to be occupied by the elderly in our communities who need the retrofitting more than the owners of a mansion down the road who, because they can afford €50,000, can then get another €50,000 from the Government. I am talking about the homes that are being left behind. Sometimes I think the way these schemes are put together has more to do with the need for the Government to look as if it is doing something rather than the plight of people living in these inefficient homes. That is not what this scheme, or any other, should be based on.

The Government often speaks of the importance of our built heritage but that built heritage needs specific measures. The Minister of State mentioned stone walls with lime-based mortar will need a lime-based plaster render - so be it. If that is what it takes then that is what should be done to ensure these homes are brought up a level of efficiency where they are not losing heat. Will the Minster of State review the scheme that has been rolled out and devise a way to implement it such that the scale of work that can be done is not determined by a person's ability to pay but the level of need? As I said, the level of need is high as most of these buildings are cottages in rural areas occupied by elderly people. They have lived all their lives there and these homes are being left behind by this scheme. I therefore ask the Minister of State to revise it.

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